The latest on COVID-19

 

Beginning on a positive note, Western Australia is locking down for a single case of coronavirus and one of its residents said, "We welcome the restrictions." It was for five days to protect against the new U.K. variant. Here's the Aussies take...

"It may seem strange to act so aggressively for a single case, but we Australians complied. There were no complaints of infringing on freedoms. No marches against masks. My city of Perth came to a standstill. The roads were quiet, and our beaches were deserted. A trip to the supermarket for essential groceries saw everyone wearing a mask — for the first time"

How refreshing...after experiencing the idiot U.S. population protesting against everything from wearing masks to observing distancing. Perth even has a beach, a magnet similar to California and Florida, but the residents did the right thing and stayed home. By the way Perth has had 904 cases for the entire pandemic. I might add, Australia is 35th on the Worldometer list for COVID-19, the United States is number one. Read more...

Dr. Sheetal Khedkar Rao, 42, an internist in suburban Chicago is quitting. She says, “After awhile, the emotional burden and moral injury become too much to bear.” And there's another dilemma going on in the health care industry, workers who refuse to get the COVID-19 vaccination. 

I had an appointment with one of my many doctors today and I asked him why this was happening. His answer was a shocking opinion that it was misinformation, likely from social media. Later I asked his medical assistant the same thing, but her answer was more questioning the vaccine, until she researched it. And that, folks, shows where to go for the coronavirus facts. Not take the word of the amateurs and misleaders on social media. Read more...  

And closing today with the idiot of the month, maybe the year, maybe even the century. Naturally it had to be in Florida, where the population thinks COVID-19 is a fairy tale, and the guy who owns this grocery store thinks coronavirus deaths are just "hogwash." His employees and patrons parade around mask free.

Alfie Oakes, the owner added, "Why don't we shut the world down because of the heart attacks? Why don't we lock down cities because of heart attacks?" Apparently Alfie dufus thinks heart attacks are contagious. This moron deserves no more attention. For some great laughs, read more...

Donald Trump and his former administration persist, and it is alarming

 

70 million warped Americans and some double-digit congressional members still support Donald Trump. That's over 5% and, although not astronomical, any percentage over zero, considering the events of the last four years, and Trump's recent act of insurrection at the nation's Capitol, is completely unacceptable. These pour souls follow Trump for a number of reasons. Here are six...

1. "All-in" isolationists, ultra-nationalists, white supremacists, racists and insurrectionists

2. Opportunists and political chameleons

3. Narrow-minded, limited information input and vulnerable to cultism

4. Voting with their pocketbook

5. Hold your nose and vote Republican

6. But he and I are Christians!

You can see definitions of all six on Salon and the article makes an interesting point, "Not all Trump supporters are alike." Well, you would think not when you consider the Capitol rioters compared to supposed evangelicals, like those above in number 6. I am not a Christian, but I know what a Christian is, and Donald Trump is not one. Read more... 

Betsy Devoss. What can I say. You select an incompetent illiterate to run the U.S. Department of Education? Yes, you do, when you are also an illiterate incompetent, namely, Donald Trump. But, we're rid of her, or are we? Jeff Bryant in AlterNet confirms what we already know, she's gone but not forgotten.

DeVoss tried her best to push private schools over public education and this is what Bryant thinks has happened...

The public "should remain incensed over how her efforts to privatize public schools are being rolled out in state legislatures across the country."

That's right, the deviner of moving our learning to the closet of selectivity was proposing a system that is no better than public schools, according to a study released by The Washington Post. The AlterNet article claims, "This [private education] Is Not What People Want." With more...

What's telling about these bills is that proponents of school privatization clearly see the need to quickly ram through their proposals because popular opinion is not necessarily on their side.

Jeff Bryant has done a good job of covering this subject pointing out the positions of many states o    n the issue. Read more... 

Animals deserve a forever home

 

A note beside a dog chained to a park bench told the story of a young boy who had to give up his dog because "the parents were abusing him and treating him very badly." The pup was named Max and his animal angel, Mascotas Coyoacán, provided this scenario...

"The saviors removed the chain from Max and slowly but surely made sure that the puppy learned how to not be afraid of humans and that they can give love, not only pain. The full story of Max, now named Boston, is down below. If you want to help Mascotas Coyoacán save more dogs from living on the street, click here to donate—every penny helps! Also, Max is still searching for a new home, so if you’re searching for a lifelong companion, here is the perfect one."

There's much more in this article with pictures of Boston and Mascotas Coyoacán, a story that should warn the hearts of all of us. Support your own shelters, rescues and humane shelters. Read more...

Donald Trump could be behind bars soon

 

Considering the corruption and violence of the mafia over its years of reign, not even the "wise guys" could hold a candle to what Donald Trump has done to this country. His best effort was the 459,472 COVID-19 deaths of U.S. citizens attributable to Trump's incompetence in handling the pandemic.

Chauncey Devega in Salon described Trump as, the leader of a political crime family." Devega says...

"Much of Trump's apparent extortion, self-dealing, influence-peddling, and outright blackmail was done in plain sight. One such scheme, in which Trump attempted to extort the president of Ukraine into launching a phony investigation of Joe Biden, resulted in his impeachment (that is, for the first time)."

There's more...

"Trump's blatant disregard for the law is part of his brand as a billionaire reality-TV star turned president and (until last month) the most powerful person on the planet."

Much of this has been said before but the Salon article has put some interesting twists on Trump's shenanigans. Read more...

Remember when Trump, while still in office, was fighting non-existent voter fraud? And how he begged his double-digit supporters to give freely of their money to further his cause? Well, get this...Matthew Chapman in Raw Story says, "Trump and the GOP funneled much of the money into political organizations.

At least $175 million going there leaving a paltry amount left for the fight...

"Trump and his allies filed dozens of lawsuits in state and federal court to try to toss out the results of the election — and was ultimately smacked down nearly every time, including by a judge he appointed. However, the fraction of these suits funded by Trump directly may not have been that expensive — especially considering he has vehemently fought paying Rudy Giuliani his legal fees."

Instead of President of the United States, Donald Trump should have been elected as the 'world's best conman.' Read more... 

The death spiral of the American empire

 

Remember Pete McCloskey, now 93, but a "renegade Republican congressman" when he went after Richard Nixon over the Vietnam War in 1971. Raw Story's Ray Hartmann says, "McCloskey knows an outlaw president when he sees one." He's talking about Donald Trump, of course, adding...

"McCloskey describes the current climate as "much worse" than the Vietnam era. And he sees Trump -- "a narcissistic psychopath incapable of the truth" --as on an entirely different level than his old nemesis from the 70s. Indeed, McCloskey likened Trump's impact on the Republican Party to that of Adolf Hitler. And he continues to worry about the safety of U.S. politicians."

What is most appalling here is that McCloskey worries about the "safety" of U.S. politicians. God! We're beginning to sound like those countries in perpetual civil war resulting in regular coups. Read more...

Chris Heges fears "The death spiral of the American Empire" will not be easily halted. From the entry of the new President, Joe Biden, to the removal of Donald Trump, and everything that has come between, without the reconciliation of the ideologies this country cherishes, we are doomed.

Heges sums up the results of the Trump administration...

"Once an oligarchy seizes power, deforming governing institutions to exclusively serve their narrow interests and turning the citizenry into serfs, there are only two options, as Aristotle pointed out — tyranny or revolution."

There's more...

"The staggering concentration of wealth and obscene avarice of the very rich now dwarfs the hedonism and excesses of the world's most heinous despots and wealthiest capitalists of the past."

That's Bernie Sanders talk and a dilemma that if not corrected in the near future, could itself lead to revolution. Read more...

Animals deserve a good life: Severely abused pit bull back to living again

 

Apollo was the most loved of all the Greek Gods, the epitome of youth and beauty. There is another Apollo who was not so lucky who "was severely abused and had a pretty hard life." After being abandoned on the side of the road, he was rescued by a woman named Brittany, who soon earned his trust and worked at getting him healthy again...

"Brittany already had six dogs and wasn’t planning on adopting any more, but Apollo was too sweet to pass up. Despite all the suffering that he had endured, Apollo was ready to trust humans and just wanted their affection.

Apollo was very fortunate Brittany came along but other animals often don't have the same experience and the outcome is regrettable for many. Thanks to Brittany for being an animal angel. Do your part and support animal rescues, shelters and humane societies. Read more... 

Domestic terrorism is fomented by Republicans

 

Arizona's own Jacob Chansley, who's been dubbed the QAnon Shaman, is obviously a certified maniac parading as a human being. And his attire is being compared to the Ku Klux Klan...

"While most people recognize the infamous hood and white robes of the 1920s Klan, early Klan costumes were homemade, individualized and much more bizarre."

Well, I grew up in the South, witnessing several of these manifestations in the 40s and 50s, rife with the KKK and its demonstrations, and, I am not defending these men of white sheets and hoods, but I don't remember any member acting like a completely deranged individual. It was a serious thing in those days burning crosses, and for a completely different goal, to kill blacks. I guess it is only the goal that is different, although even that is questionable. Read more...

And here's another group of doubtful grey matter in the Boogaloo Bois, who claim they "have guns and military training. Now they want to overthrow the government." ProPublica, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom says...

"The group is part of the Boogaloo movement — a decentralized, very online successor to the ­­militia movement of the '80s and '90s —­ whose adherents are fixated on attacking law enforcement and violently toppling the U.S. government."

The frightening part is that these maniacal groups keep popping up on a regular basis and we have to wonder when the sane population might be outnumbered. Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post says, "Republican weakness enables domestic terrorism," adding...

"The Department of Homeland Security has acknowledged what most Republicans do not: Mobs of white supremacists who have aligned themselves with the MAGA party are a threat to national security."

Now that we know whose fault it is, the next move is to get rid of them. Read more...